Improvement in snap-hooks



WHLLIAM L. HEBERLING & JOHN U. FIESTERQ Improvement in Snap Hooks.

No, 338,613, Patented Aug. 29,1871.

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WILLIAM L. IIEBERLING, OF MT. PLEASANT, AND JOHN .U. FIESTEB, OF WIN- CHESTER, OHIO; SAID FIESTER ASSIGNOB TO SAID HEBERLING.

IMPROVEMENT IN SNAP-HOOKS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 118,611, dated August 29, 1871.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM L. HEBERLING, of Mt. Pleasant, Jefferson county, and JOHN U. FIESTER, of Vinchester, in the county of Guernsey and in the State of Ohio, have invented cer tain new and useful Improvements in Snap or Safety-Hook for Harness and do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanyin g drawin and to the letters of reference marked thereon making a part of this specification.

The nature of our invention consists in the construction and arrangement of a snap or safetyhook for harness, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to which our invention appertains to make and use the same, we will 110w proceed to describe its construction and operation, referring to the annexed drawing, in which- Figure l is a plan view, and Fig. 2 aside view of our improved snap-hook. Fig. 3 shows a modiiication of the same.

Our snap-hook or safety-hook is made of two parts, A and B. The hookA is made of wire, or other suitable spring metal, bent in hook-form. One end of this hook is curved so as to form the semicircular lock end a. From this lock end the hook extends in an opposite direction from the part B for a shortdistance, and at a is again bent, iorming the curve in which the ring or other object is held by the hook A is to rest. From this curve a? the hinge end extends toward and meets the part B, to which it is hinged at a point near the center of the circle, partially described by its opposite or lock end a. This part B is made of cast or other stifli metal, in the form shown in Fig. 1, so as to have on one side of the hinge a loop, I), for attaching the strap, and on the other side a catch, 1), in which the lock end a works. This lock end has a bulge on its portion near a and when the catch 1) passes this the springy nature of the metal in the main hook A snaps the catch-loop b to its resting place at a where it is held during a slack-rein by the said bulge. It 'will readily be seen that when this hook is in use the harder the strap is pulled the firmer the catch 1) will hold the lock end a of the hook A at c In Fig. 3 we have shown a modification of our snap-hook, consisting merely in the addition of a tongue, 0, forming a part of the stiff portion B, which tongue prevents the horse from workin g the hinge by rubbing or otherwise while the rein, line, or strap is slack, and it will thus prevent the snap-hook from becoming loose.

When the tongue 0 is used, the lock end (t should be open or slotted, so that the tongue can pass through the same on opera-ting the snap. It will also be noticed that this snap-hook is self-locking, the lock end a entering the loop I) when the strap is drawn.

Havin g thus fully described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

A snap-hook, formed of wire or other suitable spring metal, when provided with a curved or bulged lock end, a, and the part B with the catchloop I), and with or without the tongue 0, all constructed and arranged substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing we have hereunto set our hands this 10th day of July, 1871.

WM. L. HEBERLING. JOHN U. FIESTER.

WVitnesses:

SnvrEoN BROWN, D. B. JOHNSON. 

